Ikea Hack - VITTSJÖ
I love a good IKEA hack! To me, it's a fun challenge to take a high-end design and use your creative juices to recreate the same look for a fraction of the cost. I'm a girl who likes to shop, so I try to be as savvy as I can to stretch my pocketbook!
My inspiration:
How chic and gorgeous is this etagere? I love all the books of artwork, the fresh cut blooms and of course the use of white and gold as the over-arching theme. I looked and looked for etageres online and throughout garage sales, antique stores and estate sales, but started to quickly realize that my hope of grabbing a high-end etagere on a dime was going to be hopeless....until I spotted a similar frame at IKEA.
For this particular project, I wanted a tall and skinny etagere so I could frame my desk with one on each side. Eventually I plan on getting a larger one when I move into a full home office, but for now I have my office in my bedroom so the small ones will do.
After all the high price tags, I was relieved to see that I could get away with this look for just about a hundred bucks.
....ahhhh the sigh of sweet relief.
My next step, after purchasing my frames, was to find a great-looking gold spray paint. Something that wouldn't look cheesy or too metallic.
I recommend using either the Krylon Foil Metallic Spray or the Krylon Gold Decorator Spray.
DON'T MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE I DID!!!
I laid these pieces down on drop cloth and painted them on each side and then put it together.
BAD IDEA.
Learn from my mistake! Build your piece and then paint it. I had paint pooling around the sides and it created bubbles in the paint once it was dried...it was a nightmare. I ended up having to wait for it to dry, sand it down and paint it again once it was put together. It still turned out great, but my quick and fun DIY project slowly turned into an all weekend long task.
The piece I purchased had faux wood in a dark glaze and I really liked it! I made sure I just sprayed the metal and left the wood pieces the way that they were to add some contrast.
(new photo)
The next step was to decorate it while still making it functional for me. I work from home so I needed it to hold items I use everyday (like my printer) but still feel put together to inspire me.
(old photo)
A few of my favorite books. :)
(old photo)
My amazing Yeti microphone for webinars and voice overs. I'm seriously obsessed with this thing. The Louvre book was a birthday gift and I love it! It's got amazing art in it and makes me feel like I'm touring the gallery as I flip each page.
Mark Rothko is among my favorite artists so I HAD to snag a book filled with his life's work. I have a thing for modern art.
I got the "Dream Big" print from Office Depot if you can believe it! They've started carrying more and more female office supplies. This one is from See Jane Work.
(now)
(old office)
And there you have it folks! Here's my small home office. It's quaint but extremely functional.
(new office)
More IKEA hacks to come that I can't wait to share with you all.
